The National Kidney Foundation printed these 25 great facts about organ and tissue donation. Take a look and have your donation questions answered here.
There are more than one million tissue transplants performed annually in the U.S that save lives, relieve pain, improve mobility and even regenerate cells to form new skin and bone. Donated human tissue is processed into usable “allografts” for surgeons by tissue banks. The tissue banking industry is highly regulated by federal agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) along with state and local regulatory bodies to promote the safety of patients.
Another key group that promotes safety standards and best practices for honoring tissue donors is the nonprofit American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB). Since its founding in 1976, the AATB has promoted the safety, quality and availability of donated human tissue. The AATB is now considered the definitive source on safety and standards in the tissue banking industry, and most tissue banks in the country elect to become AATB-certified in a show of commitment to the organization’s high standards.
So why is the AATB important to you and me? The organization:
Saves and improves lives of tissue recipients
Makes tissue transplants safer for patients in need
Ensures respectful treatment of tissue donors who have given the gift of life, by making certain that their gifts are maximized and produce safe and quality results
Promises that new, safe possibilities for tissue transplantation will continue to emerge (more…)
As medicine continues to advance, so too do possibilities for tissue donation and transplant. One of the latest medical treatments available use stem cells from tissue donors.
Check out this exciting story out of Baltimore with Dr. Mark Myerson, director of Mercy Medical Center’s Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction. Dr. Myerson used AlloStem Stem Cell Bone Growth Substitute to re-grow bone in the ankle of a woman from New Jersey who was originally told her leg would have to be amputated following a devastating car accident.
AlloSource’s H.C. Martensen forges a deeper connection
to his work
Tissue bank employee and transplant recipient H.C. Martensen in the 2008 Vineman Iron Distance Triathlon in California. Now, five months after his ligament transplant, H.C. is recovering well and planning to participate in a triathlon in June.
H.C. Martensen works in the AlloSource tissue processing core where he is faced with the powerful realities and possibilities of tissue donation and transplantation every day. He also has the utmost confidence in the allografts that he and his tissue bank colleagues produce, so much so that he recently requested one for his own transplant.
Over the summer H.C. returned to his former university, Colorado College in Colorado Springs, for an alumni soccer game. He played on the team in college, and since then remained very athletic, participating in triathlons and skiing. However, at the time of the game, it had been a while since he’d played soccer. Following a cutting motion on the field he felt his leg let go below the knee. H.C. instantly knew what had occurred, not only because of his work, but also because a close friend had sustained a torn ACL just three days prior.
Shortly thereafter a surgeon confirmed it – H.C.’s ACL and lateral meniscus were torn and he needed surgery and an allograft transplant. Although the surgeon did not historically use allografts from AlloSource, H.C. made a special request to have his graft come from the tissue bank. (more…)
Account from the North American Spine Society meeting
AlloSource recently showcased AlloStem Bone Graft Substitute at this year’s NASS meeting in Orlando. Dr. Eubulus Kerr, a spinal surgeon from Shreveport Louisiana, presented a review of his clinical usage of AlloStem tissue in spine fusion procedures. Dr. Kerr presented follow-up from cervical and lumbar fusion cases with up to six months of follow up and very encouraging early results. Many of the attending surgeons stayed after the presentation had formally ended to discuss the AlloStem technology with attendees and AlloSource staff. One surgeon who attended the seminar has already completed his first surgery with the AlloStem tissue, implanting the tissue for spinal fusion.
The conference validated that live cellular products are the direction the industry is heading, so stay tuned.
This week we were pleased to chat with Dr. Francis, a podiatric surgeon from Tulsa, about his use of allograft tissue and his hopes for tissue transplant in the future.
Novel approaches in wound healing seek to supply to the wound with biologic factors that are thought to be absent in the chronic wound. This support for regenerative wound repair is being reinforced by sizeable grants for such research, like the pair of recent U.S. Army grants totaling $760,000 awarded to Lakshmi Nair at the University of Connecticut to study the regenerative repair of musculoskeletal tissue, like skin, cartilage and bone.
In improper wound healing, cells can show either an exaggerated or inadequate response to molecular healing signals, leading to problematic wound site inflammation or stalled wound healing. Dr. Nair’s approach seeks to ‘modulate’ the local wound site with regenerative biomaterials, specifically, a polysaccharide compound that adapts to the irregular geometries characteristic of tissue defects, while acting as carriers for known wound-healing cells and protein growth factors. Also in the works is a protein-based injectable biomaterial that seeks to regenerate compromised bone and cartilage. Using organic molecules like these, Dr. Nair hopes to deliver cost-effective, biologically active treatments that will rescue improper wound healing and stimulate the replacement of lost bone and cartilage.
- Jessica Duncan, AlloSource Product Manager – Burn and Wound Care
I found this article very interesting and intriguing as it relates to the repair of articular cartilage utilizing amnion tissue, the membrane that encases the placenta. As the article conveys, it is a versatile tissue that has the potential to serve as a solution to the challenges of healing wounds and other soft tissue ailments. What is also great is that it makes use of the placenta following c-section births, when it would otherwise be discarded. Most recently, several companies have begun manufacturing and distributing amnion to assist surgeons with procedures involving neurology, spine and orthopedics. I look forward to providing the medical community with new ways to use amnion. Check out the article I read to learn more about how amnion tissue could be used in the future.
- Tom Carter, Product Manager
The theme of this year’s 27th annual meeting of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) was Focus on the Future.
The Tissue Council Meeting headed up the agenda on day one. The Tissue Council membership is made up of representatives from many different OPOs and tissue banks across the country. The highlight of the council meeting was a panel discussion held between attendees and senior representatives from the major tissue processors in the US. The panelists discussed the changing landscape of tissue banking and what they foresee the course of tissue transplantation will be in the future, including cells/live cell grafts as the future of tissue donation.
For years, people suffering from debilitating lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have had to deal with the possibility of a lung transplant. With growing transplant lists and the odds of matching a donor lung rare, those waiting for lung transplants have had to battle the odds for survival.
However, new research using stem cells to grow new lungs or lung tissue from the University of Texas Medical Branch may give hope to potential lung transplant recipients. Read more about the new research being tested on mice here.
Frank Bodino, President of Transplant Speakers International, called attention to the importance of tissue donation this week in the company’s newsletter. The newsletter also features the moving story of Manuel Salazar, a quadruple amputee who received life-saving allografts from AlloSource.
To read more about tissue donation and Manuel’s story, check out the newsletter here.
Ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors at AlloSource? Take a quick behind-the-scenes look at tissue banking R&D, with AlloSource Vice President of R&D, Simon Bogdansky.
A short tour of the leading laboratory where AlloSource develops new life-saving and life-enhancing tissue allografts
Discover the laboratory where AlloSource ensures the safety of its allografts
Take a look inside AlloSources cutting-edge stem cell laboratory, where the company is developing new types of allografts that promote tissue regeneration
China is quickly becoming a powerhouse in the field of regenerative medicine; however, despite the country’s obvious commitment to the cause and rapid successes in the field, they are also being questioned by worldwide authorities on regenerative medicine for their willingness to use unverified stem cell techniques in Chinese clinics and hospitals. Though they are continuing to make great strides, the lack of governmental regulation places a burden on the burgeoning research.
A recent article on ScienceProgress.org details the intricate struggle.
What do you think about the Chinese approach to regenerative medicine? What, if any, are the implications for the US?
Check out a few photos from the stunning float, featuring AlloSource’s float rider Manuel Salazar, a courageous quadruple amputee and tissue recipient.
For a third consecutive year, Donate Life was among the Rose Parade float award winners. This year’s “New Life Rises” entry won the prestigious Theme Trophy for Excellence in Presenting the Parade Theme, “A Cut Above The Rest.”
Additionally, ABC conducted a text-message poll allowing their millions of viewers to select their favorite float. The winner: Donate Life!
The following byline from AlloSource has appeared in hundreds of media outlets around the country
Amidst the constantly changing world of medicine, innovative research from some of the world’s leading surgeons is finding new ways to use donated human tissue to treat a host of medical conditions.
Registered donors and their families donate this allograft tissue in the same way organs are donated. It is used in many life-saving and enhancing medical procedures already, with numerous new opportunities on the horizon.
Are these new made up words? If you’re connected to the high communication environment, you know that these are all ways to get and share information with other people. Who would have imagined as little as several years ago that a messaging website called Twitter would have more than 7 million participating members today? It’s been incredible to watch the alternate methods people have found to stay connected with one another.
And on that note, to help AlloSource communicate with its various stakeholders, we bring you our new blog, AllograftPossibilities.org.
The following byline from AlloSource has appeared in hundreds of media outlets around the country
Twitter! Helium! Facebook! Blogosphere! LinkedIn!
Newsfeed